The railway line resulting from the doubling of the track will increase the freight capacity of the Botany Line and the Metropolitan Freight Network thanks to a new 2.9 km section to Port Botany.
Sarens has been directly involved in the duplication works with the transport of two concrete girders required for the construction, measuring between 18 and 20 metres long and weighing 140 and 160 tons respectively.
This project, promoted by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) on behalf of the Australian Government, aims to boost rail transport and thus reduce the traffic associated with road transport in the area.
The duplication of the last 2.9km of rail line between Mascot and Botany by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), that’s expected to be completed in late 2024, will relieve traffic congestion associated with transport in the area, increasing freight capacity to the equivalent of 54 truckloads per train running.
According to the NSW Freight and Ports Plan 2018-2023 prepared by the NSW government, the amount of freight to be handled at Port Botany will increase from 14.4 million tons in 2016 to 25.5 million tons in 2036, which would represent a significant increase in road traffic in the area. The Botany Rail Duplication will increase from 20 trains per day in each direction to around 45 in 2030, multiplying freight capacity and reducing the number of vehicles and their environmental impact.
Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport and crane rental services, has been directly involved in the construction work on this project on behalf of John Holland, taking responsibility for transporting two concrete bridge girders, 20 metres long and weighing 160 tons, and 18 metres and 140 tons respectively, for 800 metres along a public road before bringing them within reach of the crane for installation.
For this project, the Sarens engineering team decided to use 30 axle lines of K24 SPMTs, two powerpack units and an Enerpac SBL1100 gantry system to relocate the two girders. Due to the proximity of Sydney Airport, the Sarens equipment had to be below a hard ceiling of eight metres maximum, which made it impossible to use a crane for the move. It was therefore decided to use the 1,000-ton capacity gantry to safely lift the beams and drive the SPMTs underneath. In total, the team was able to carry out the transport maneuver in just 30 minutes, reducing traffic disruption time on the main road next to the airport.
According to Michiel de Bodt, Sarens Technical Solutions Sales Manager, “projects of this type usually require several weeks of preparation -we were requested by our client on a Friday afternoon to mobilize our team and equipment on the next Monday morning-. However, we knew what we had to do and we had the confidence of our client to execute this job safely. If we had not delivered, our client would have suffered significant delays in their project and we were not going to let them down".
Sarens has extensive international experience in the transport of heavy materials over long distances and the lifting and installation for the construction of complex structures. Some of the projects in which Sarens has been involved are the transport of the modules necessary for the expansion of the new platform of the Marjan Oil Field in Saudi Arabia, the extension of the roof of the Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian (Spain), or the redevelopment works of the Roland Garros stadium for the next Olympics in Paris 2024.
About Sarens
Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 4,543 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/